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cited as “ two out of three very special promoters of the Jaina faith” Thus there seems to be no doubt that the early Hoysalas were Jainas and that the later Hoysalas from Bitti ownards were converted to Vaishnavism mainly because of Ramanuja's personality Bitti, who was perhaps the greatest ruler of the dynasty, was "a fervent militant Jaina down to the time when he was converted to Vaishnavism by Ramanuja”, an event which came to happen by a miracle as Vaishnava literature has it. Much reliance cannot be placed on the traditional account that the new convert persecuted the Jainas, being directed to do so by Ramanuja, for we learn that his wife Santaladevi remained a Jaina and continued to make grants to the Jainas with the king's consent, and that Gangaraja, his minister, whose services for Tainism are well known, continued to enjoy the king's favour. Moreover he himself is said to have endowed and repaired Jaina temples and to have afforded protection to Jaina images and priests It is claimed for Vishnuvardhana—the name adopted by him after his conversion-that his reign was one of great toleration that continued even during the reigns of his successors. His successors, though themselves Vaishnavites, are said to have built Jaina temples (bastis ) and to have protected Jaina Acharyas Such are for instance Narasimha I (1143-73 AD), ViraBallala II (1173-1220 AD.) and Narasimha III (1254-91 AD).
The Vijayanagara kings were always noted
